wouldn’t it be nice if we were all born with a little compass to carry around and tell us where we needed to go? I can hear my mom in my head saying..”we do!” and if I were meditating on a regular basis, mine would be in perfect working order! but I want it easy..I want a shiny little one I can hold in my hand, with a pretty silver chain to where/wear around my neck! Psssh!

I need to meditate!

Here is the compass for the Alaska quilt. I finally settled on an idea I liked.

I think I would have liked to have been a cultural anthropologist……although I’d probably have an even bigger stash of fabrics and REALLY cool textiles. This is half of a mola….I used the other half as the central panel in a baby blanket. I think the piece as a whole may have been torn, so to save it I cut it in half. A thrift store find.

I have recently pulled it out, and decided that I’d like to learn how to make these. I was surprised to read last night in my research that the Kuna Indian may be descendents of Southeast Asia, as long as 6 thousand years ago. The textiles of Hmong and Laos are thought to be very similar. I had thought the same thing before, they do look very similar. Has anyone tried to make these or tried reverse applique? It looks challenging, but so beautiful.

I went to the thrift store for a quick fix…those of you that thrift shop probably understand……..I went straight for their crafty section, which often has embroidery thread, and sometimes cool fabric. Also buttons, old buttons. The last time I had gone in, I had picked out about 25 buttons and sat them on the counter and decided to go back quickly to check for sale items. When I got back the little bag of buttons had been accidentally placed into another’s bag….I mourned those silly buttons.. I felt silly for it. That was about a week and a half ago. When I went in today they had my little bag of buttons. The person who got them put into their bag, had seen me meticulously picking through the buttons, and brought them back for me! How nice!! I was happy! over silly little buttons…..aren’t they cool?!

please check out her stuff if you haven’t already. She is bright, funny and very creative. Thank you Acey for the award. You also make my day! It is such a nice feeling to have other talented, artistic folk praise your creative efforts. Opportunity for artistic camaraderie is sometimes scarce, so to have all of you to bounce ideas off and get wonderful feedback is awesome. I am so grateful that we have the opportunity to know one another through our blogs…Yeah for the World Wide Web. and if I haven’t told you, my visitors/friends, You too, make my day!

working on the cabin. Did a little what-ifing, inspired by Jude http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/ . I had a little bag of 2″ by 2″ quilt squares bought at the thrift store. Wasn’t sure I would ever use them, so I challenged myself to come up with something pleasing just using the thrifted quilt squares. I knew it had to be the log cabin quilt pattern, and then I roofed the cabin with a piece of green velvet, another Jude inspiration.

At first I thought it looked a little eastern european, and then had a funny serendipitous happening. I called my dad to wish him Happy New Year, and while talking, he asked me what we had been up to. I answered, and mentioned that my husband had been reading The Hobbit. My dad said excitedly, “I love that book, an old woman in a bar gave me that once.” So then I looked at the cabin and thought maybe it might be the cozy home of a hobbit.

my dad has a way of throwing in a quiet surprise now and again. That same conversation he told me how he likes to make fried chicken, marinated in buttermilk and honey. may need to try that.